Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-02-26
.I, TIE HABITS OF ELK.
what e Western Hunter Has Observed
 Cow Elk and Calf.

Cow Elk and CAIs
 The habits of elk are similar to those of deer, but they are much larger animals Cows that are in good condition dress about $50 pounds, and fat bulls dreSs about 4j0 pounds. l have heard or ouIIs that dressed coo pounds, but l never saw so large an elk. and have seen hundreds of them. In September the calves ureSs from 80 to 100 pounds Their meat Is ten der, but tasteless and veal-like. \ iaI = year-Old elk heifer is probably the pest meat on earth, at least think SO me COWS are good eating, but inferior 10 bL'ck tailed deer The bulls are rather touSh at all times. and their meat is unworthy ot being cooked during the rutting season
 Shortly after the ruttIng season the necks of the full antlered bulls begin 10 swell and to grow hard. Then it requires an exceedingly hard shooting rifle Co drive A ball through their necks. l saw, while on this hunt, four bulls shot low down on the neck, and in no instance did the ball pass through, and in no case did it strike the neck bone. In all instances it lodged under the skin on the opposite side from the hunter. We used 44-6O Winchesters, the latter figures expressing the number of grains of powder burned behind the ball. This rifle will throw a ball through an elk or through a bear from side Go side. but it will not carry through an elk neck
 Bull elk drop their antlers in January generally, but this, l suppose, depends on the latitude in which they live. A bull IS full antlered when he is years old, then there are six prongs on each antler- Some times the antlers ''spOrt, as corn does, and the horns take queer shapes. This IS a very serious disaster to the elk, as he cannot fight effectively with ''sported' antlers, and he is driven out of the band. have a set of antlers, ''spOrts, which have thirteen prOnss on each horn. The bull that wore these heavy, useless ant lers spent the season in secluSiOl. He
 suld not fight.
 One of the most remarkable speCtacles in the pine clad highlands is to see full antlered bull elk trOt at speed through a forest where the trees stand SO thiclSly that horse has to slowly pick it's way. I have frequently seen an elk bull, whose spread of antlers was at least four feet, dash at full speed through belt of tim Der where could not follow on horse back. because the trees were too close to- gether, and he did not strike tree with his antlers.
 When COW elk is killed her calf will run of to hide in the woods. But it will frequently return to the place where it's mother Bfcll, and it often pays for its hungry search with its life. 1 shot a E-t COW one morning, and saw two calves not far from her. When the rifle cracked the calves disappeared That night 1 mentioned the fact of the calves running of to my cOmrade He said: If you will go there tomorrow morn ing you will probably find both of the calves snOOping around in the woods near the dead COW They will be hungry by that time, and they will return tO their dead mother to get drink of milk The two calves will just make out our wagon load of meat. You had bet ter go and kill them
 I went back the next morning. The two beautiful, graceful calves stood by their dead mother trying to make her rise. Evidently they were hungry and impa- tient for their breakfast. They would push her with their black noses or strike her sharply with their fOrefeet. It was a pitiful sight, and felt like a murderer, and did not have the heart to kill the calves. l drove them away, and when my comrade came up with the pack animals l told him my rifle did not go off. which WIS true Eoi luuE WetkS I NdlkeQ uiillE in the forest. To-day hunting deer, to- morrow shooting grouse, the next day | shooting elk l stukied the habits of the game animals under the intelligent super vision of my cOmrade, who had lived | among them for years, and whose living in a great measure, depended on his being | able to kill game at the proper season | We shot many animals The hunt was | almost a slaughter. But we lost no meat; | none was used tO bait bears. none thrown | away. Every pound that We did not eat | was carefully saved and sold The meat | was packed on horses backs for from five | to ten miles through dense green timber, | over burned lands and across fallen tim | Der. From there it was hauled to Lara mic, Fort Collins and Rawlings for sale I and the money obtained for it was eX- pended for provisions The trails On | which we entered or left the elk range | were purpOsely blind trails. and unknown to other persOns.-COr. New York Sun.